WORD HISTORY In classical legend the Amazons were a tribe of warrior women. Their name is supposedly derived from Greek a-mazos, “without a breast,” because according to the legend they cut off their right breasts so as to be better able to shoot with a bow and arrow. This folk etymology, like most folk etymologies, is incorrect, but the Amazons of legend are not so completely different from the historical Amazons, who were also warriors. The historical Amazons were Scythians, an Iranian people renowned for their cavalry. The first Greeks to come into contact with the Iranians were the Ionians, who lived on the coast of Asia Minor and were constantly threatened by the Persians, the most important of the Iranian peoples. Amazōn is the Ionian Greek form of the Iranian word ha-mazan, “fighting together.” The regular Greek form would be hamazōn, but because the Ionians dropped their aitches like Cockneys, hamazōn became amazōn, the form taken into the other Greek dialects.

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Courageous. Warriors. Fighters. Strong. Fighting together.

Which is why it’s so fucking ironic that Amazon (the company, as in dot com) did what it recently (and Amazon’s response, in which it says it was all a “glitch.”). The short version: Amazon has been de-ranking books on the basis of adult content. This includes, it seems, not just erotica, but also GLBT titles and romance as well.

You’ve Been Warned

She believes in freedom of speech, but (mostly) has no desire to corrupt those who don't wish to be corrupted. If you're looking for clean, cautious or controlled, please look elsewhere. If you're under 18, you might try the wonderful Scarleteen.